Columbia to hold police memorial service

Saturday

May 11, 2019 at 12:01 AMMay 11, 2019 at 4:47 PM

The Columbia Police Department will hold a ceremonial memorial service, paying tribute to those who have served and died in the line of duty.

The gathering, scheduled for 6:15 to 7 p.m. Monday, will be hosted by Columbia's Highland Park Baptist Church, 1800 Highland Avenue. It will be held in honor of all who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and recognize the families of those who have been forever changed by a loved-ones' dedication.

A second service will be held at Columbia's Woodland Park Fallen Heroes Pavilion immediately following the ceremony on Monday.

Spring Hill Police Department will also hold a service later in the week. The city will honor its men and women in blue starting 7 p.m. Thursday at Port Royal Park, located at 4825 Port Royal Road.

“It is an opportunity for us to honor those that have given the ultimate sacrifice and show support,” said Lt. Nicole Fall, who oversees the department's honor guard. “We are honoring their loved ones who gave their lives to service.”

From across the country, each officer who passed away serving their department in the past year will be recognized during the ceremony including Sgt. Daniel Baker, deputy with the Dickson County Sheriff's Department, who was murdered last year while responding to a call.

Baker, 32, was a native of Columbia and a graduate of Columbia Central High School. The son of a Spring Hill Police officer, Baker, together with his wife Lisa, have a young daughter.

His brother, Evan, also followed their father's footsteps serving in the Spring Hill department.

“It is important,” Fall told The Daily Herald. “We welcome anyone in the community who would like to come out,” Fall said. “It gives us a chance to connect with the community. It is a sobering time and we would to have anybody who would like to show support.”

The service will also recognize the Columbia Police's Department's most recent officer to pass away serving the local department.

The officer was lost more than three decades ago.

During Columbia's annual Mule Day celebrations, Officer William “Larry” Whitwell, 34, was shot on April 4, 1981 while attempting to place three offenders under arrest for a theft earlier that night.

Whitwell pulled over 19-year-old Andrew Jackson Braden III, 17-year-old James O'Neal and 26-year-old Ramona Lockeridge for speeding at the intersection of Confederate Drive and Wheeler Drive near the entrance of Columbia's Woodland Park.

During a traffic stop, Whitwell discovered the three individuals inside the vehicle just robbed an employee at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, who was making a night deposit on High Street.

When he attempted to make the arrest, the three suspects overpowered Whitwell and he was shot with his own weapon.

“They took his gun and took his handcuffs,” Columbia Police Department Assistant Chief Michelle Jones said. “Another officer found him laying in the middle of the road.”

Because the only means of communication was a car radio, the injured officer was unable to call for backup.

Whitwell passed away the following day from injuries sustained from the gunshot. He died leaving behind a 3-year-old son, Ryan, and his wife Sandy.

“Everyone is invited to come and remember and honor the law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty in 2018,” a formal public invitation from the department reads. “We will also be remembering local officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in past years.”

The event coincides with National Police Week, an annual remembrance week that pays special recognition to law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

This year, National Police Week runs from May 12 through 18.

Each year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Last year, a total of 144 federal, state and local law enforcement officers in the United States died in the line of duty, including 11 female officers and one from Tennessee. Of the 144 reported, 52 were shooting-related deaths, a 13 percent increase from 46 reported in 2017. Fifty officers were killed in traffic-related incidents and three were beaten to death. Four others died from drowning, two were struck by a train, while 42 died from job-related illnesses.

The weeklong event draws between 25,000 and 40,000 attendees from department's across the United States and abroad.

One of the week's gatherings, The National Peace Officers Memorial Service, sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, is one in a series of events which includes the Candlelight Vigil, which is sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and seminars sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)

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